Nearly a decade of roles in unimpressive to decent films may have convinced people that Tom Hanks was prepared to trickle through the rest of his career, riding his star status all the way home. But in "Captain Phillips", Hanks reminds us how he earned the right to be the biggest star in the world. Playing a real life captain that was taken hostage by Somali pirates, Hanks is devastatingly human, showing us the true face of a man placed in an impossible situation. Easily his best performance in a decade and possibly his career, Hanks will put you through the wringer as you desperately hope for his character to get home safe. - Nicholas DeNitto
Llewyn Davis is a jerk. He gets girls pregnant, he makes women cry, he heckles other struggling musicians, and he's drowning in his own bitterness toward the world. "You're like King Midas' idiot brother," one victim of Llewyn's egomania spits out. (Everything he touches turns, not to gold, but to...you get the idea.) Even in the wondrously skilled hands of Oscar Isaac, Llewyn's still not exactly likable -- but he is understandable. With his devil-may-care attitude, slouchy posture and haunting tenor, Isaac sketches the perfect portrait of an unfulfilled artist. Llewyn is fully committed to his passion for folk music, even as the music industry begins to evolve away from it. Somehow, Isaac makes this stubbornness feel like a righteous crusade rather than a pathetic suicide mission, even as Llewyn drives himself deeper and deeper into destitution. Like his character, Isaac isn't a showoff; his performance is subtle and natural, which makes it easy to understand why it was lost in the shuffle of Wall Street tycoons and bad comb-overs this year. But I dare you to listen to him sing the unnervingly beautiful ballad "The Death Of Queen Jane" in a last-ditch effort to make a name for himself, and not feel moved deep down in your soul. - Jefferson Grubbs
History books will remember Oscar Grant III merely as the victim of a BART police shooting in the early morning hours of January 1, 2009. Thanks to Jordan's superior performance as the late young man, moviegoers will remember him as so much more. It would have been exceedingly easy for Jordan to portray his character as an innocent, misunderstood martyr; it would have been just as easy to go the other direction, and paint him as a controversial antihero. Instead, Jordan's performance deftly balances the line between the two. His Grant is both a doting father and an uncommitted boyfriend. He loves his mother but he can't hold down a job. He's irresponsible, sweet, dishonest and optimistic. In short, he's a human being, a work in progress. The real tragedy of the film is watching this young man cut short before realizing his own full potential. - Jefferson Grubbs
As every parent's worst nightmare come true, Jackman practically burns through the screen with a fiery passion. His Keller is a desperate man willing to go to any lengths to retrieve his kidnapped daughter. The sheer power of his fury is frightening to behold -- but the most frightening part about it is the idea that this potential for immense anger and pain is inside each of us, just waiting for the right (or very wrong) circumstances to bring it out. Watching Keller's face become increasingly ravaged by the millstone of his own rage over the course of two-and-a-half grueling hours is a nigh on masochistic experience. But it's also one of the most memorable performances of the year, one that will linger uncomfortably in the minds of audiences for days afterward. - Jefferson Grubbs
"The Hunt" is an incredible, infuriating film about the concept of thought as a virus. When a mild-mannered, pleasant kindergarten teacher, played by Mads Mikkelsen, is falsely accused of child molestation, his life is ruined as the town automatically assumes his guilt. This story wouldn't be so aggravating were it not for the beautiful, sympathetic work by Mikkelsen. Surrounded by violent, angry people, Mikkelsen's restraint and innocence stands out and makes his story all the more devastating. Other actors may have played this part as combative, but Mikkelsen knew better. - Nicholas DeNitto
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